Rose House opening to the public

Next week, Beirut’s storied “Rose House”, which sits on a rare green hill overlooking the Mediterranean, will be open to the public for the first time. The artist Tom Young will be showcasing his work and hosting a series of events beginning next week. He sent me these pictures:

Young hopes to shed light on the 19th century building, which he feared would be destroyed after learning that its long term tenant of 50 years, Fayza El Khazen, had been asked to leave. So he got in touch with the new owners and convinced them to allow an exhibit, featuring musical, theatrical, film events and activities for children, in addition to some 40 of his painted pieces.

Dubbed, “At the Rose House” the exhibit will run from November 19 until the end of December 2014. Young will also be sharing what he has learned about the history of the home during his two month artist residency there, particularly its importance as a cultural meeting place during the 1960s.

“I’ve been exploring the house’s context in the city, drawing inspiration from the forest of towers which surround it, and nearby landmarks such as the old lighthouse and Luna Park,” Young said an email. “These places are anchors in the city’s soul.”

“Rise and Fall” by Tom Young from “At the Rose House” Beirut

Here’s a video Young has made about the project:

And here are some of the paintings that will be on display:

“Survival” by Tom Young from “At the Rose House” Beirut“Zones” by Tom Young from “At the Rose House” Beirut“Age of Innocence” by Tom Young from “At the Rose House” Beirut“Arches Mirage Wall” by Tom Young “At the Rose House” Beirut“Interior Erasure” by Tom Young from “At the Rose House” Beirut

Young developed a similar exhibition last year at another abandoned mansion in the Gemmayze neighborhood known as Villa Paradiso. The hope is that art can help us celebrate, remember and perhaps even save some of these buildings, which are being rapidly destroyed across the city to make way for multimillion dollar towers only the wealthiest can afford. But such efforts can only succeed if concerned citizens attend in large numbers to make their voices heard. So spread the word and see you there!

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For more info about the exhibit, get in touch with Tom via tom@tomyoung.com and his Facebook page.

All photos courtesy Tom Young

Exhibit opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday 11am-7pm, open until 10pm on Fridays

10 COMMENTS

Thank you for the blog post, but can you please correct the date to the 19th of November. The has been a lot of confusion. The 18th of November is a private view per in invitation only. After that, it is open to the public
hope to see you there!

Good news! A chat between the owner and my mother (turns out she knows him) confirmed the status of the Pink House: preserved! He said he’d like to make it his home if possible and is otherwise interested in other options but stated in any case the building will remain!
My dream: he renovates it (maintenance and painting works should be sufficient plus clearing out the jungle the garden has became) and makes it a museum or gallery about the history of Beirut including a nice tea room (the interior style fits perfectly) linking it to the old lighthouse with a trail.

Side note: how come the lighthouse is still not a landmark opened to the public? With proper maintenance and trained team, it could become a public place to visit and even a touristic attraction (God knows we are in shortage of these in Beirut).

Dear Joanna…
How are you? I read that your mother has contact with the owner of the “Rose House”… I would like to ask you if i could have his contact number because I am interested in hosting a cultural event there… i would be really grateful if you could help me…
Thank you
Thatiana

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